Orkney Islands
The Orkney Islands are an archipelago of over 70 islands some 10 miles off the north tip of mainland Scotland. They've been settled since the Neolithic period and have a remarkable collection of standing stones, early settlements and burial cairns, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.| Tap on a place to explore it |
Places of Interest
Highlights include Grain Earth House and St Magnus Cathedral.
Grain Earth House
Archaeological site
Photo: Otter, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Grain Earth House is an archaeological site.
St Magnus Cathedral
Church
Photo: Robert Scarth, CC BY-SA 2.0.
St Magnus Cathedral is a Church of Scotland parish church in Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. St Magnus Cathedral is situated 2 miles southeast of Orkney Islands.
Wideford Hill chambered cairn
Archaeological site
Photo: David Wyatt, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Wideford Hill chambered cairn is a Neolithic chambered cairn on Mainland, Orkney in Scotland. The tomb dates to around 2000 BC, and is similar in design to the Maeshowe chambered cairn on Orkney.
Places in the Area
Nearby places include St Ola and Kirkwall.
St Ola
Locality
Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.0.
St Ola is a parish on Mainland, Orkney. It is in the centre of the island, east of the parish Firth and north of Holm. It contains the capital and largest town of the Orkney archipelago, Kirkwall. St Ola is situated 1½ miles south of Orkney Islands.
Kirkwall
Photo: Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Kirkwall is the chief town of the Orkney Islands, which lie off the north tip of mainland Scotland. With a population of about 10,000 in 2020, Kirkwall has accommodation and other amenities and is the obvious base for exploring these islands.
Balfour
Village
Photo: Shirley Grant, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Balfour is a village on the island of Shapinsay, Orkney. The village is situated on Elwick Bay, which was used as an anchorage by Haakon IV of Norway before sailing south to eventual defeat at the Battle of Largs in 1263. Balfour is situated 4 miles northeast of Orkney Islands.
Orkney Islands
- Type: Island
- Also known as: “Orkney” and “Orkneys”
- Category: landform
- Location: Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, Britain and Ireland, Europe
- View on OpenStreetMap
Latitude
59° northLongitude
-3° or 3° westElevation
95 feet (29 metres)Open location code
9CFV2222+22GeoNames ID
2640924
This page is based on GeoNames, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikivoyage.
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Satellite Map
Discover Orkney Islands from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
In Other Languages
“Orkney Islands” goes by many names.
- Welsh: “Ynysoedd yr Orkney” (historical)
Places with the Same Name
Discover other places named “Orkney Islands”.
Localities in the Area
Explore places such as Quanter Ness and Blackhill.
Notable Places Nearby
Highlights include Quanterness and RNAS Hatston.
Orkney Islands: Must-Visit Destinations
Delve into Kirkwall, Stromness, Hoy, and Shapinsay.
Curious Places to Discover
Uncover intriguing places from every corner of the globe.
About Mapcarta. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikivoyage page “Orkney Islands”. Photo: Massimo Telò, CC BY-SA 3.0.